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This past weekend was my parents’ annual holiday open house, and as usual, my mom and I went overboard on the cookie prep. I made double batches of chocolate crinkles and triple ginger, as well perfecting a cashew cream cheese rugelah recipe (which I’ll post soon) and a Christmas staple I’ve been making since college: cherry ribbons. These icebox cookies are as festive as they are delicious, and it’s not Christmas without gorging on a handful of them!

-Combine cherries, preserve and 1 ½ T. sugar in a food processor until you have a relatively smooth paste.-Cook cherry mixture in a small saucepan on high until bubbling, 5-7 min, stirring constantly. -Remove from heat and add ⅛ t. almond extract. -Transfer to a bowl and cool in the freezer while you prepare the dough.-Combine the coconut oil, butter and sugar in a stand mixer until smooth.-Add the flax gel, vanilla and almond extract and mix well. -Add the baking powder, salt and flour and mix well.-Remove dough from mixer and divide into 4 equal pieces; I take a sharp knife and cut the dough in half vertically then horizontally.-Line a 4”x8” loaf pan with a piece of aluminum foil, then cover foil with wax paper.-Spread one portion of dough into the bottom of the loaf pan, then cover with ⅓ of the now-cooled cherry mixture. Repeat twice more, then spread the final piece of dough evenly across the top.-Fold the wax paper over the dough, then the foil. Place in the freezer for at least 90 min to set; I often freeze it overnight for convenience.-Preheat your oven to 350 F.-Remove the dough from the freezer and take off the foil and wax paper.-Place the dough on a cutting board and cut off the sides using a sharp knife; you can cut these to size and bake, they’re just not as aesthetically pleasing as the rest of the batch.-Cut the dough in half longways, then vertically at ¼” increments.-Place strips on parchment-lined baking sheets and bake for 10-14 min or until edges are beginning to turn golden brown.-Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes before transferring to a rack.